Marathon high school teacher killed in bicycle accident

According to authorities, a Laurens-Marathon Community School District high school science teacher was struck and killed in a bicycle-car accident last Wednesday.

Around 8 p.m. Wednesday, the teacher was riding his bike westbound on Highway 10. He was intending to participate in Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa this summer, friends and school staff told police.

About 3 miles from Marathon, the teacher was struck by a car driven by an 18-year-old former student. Both rider and driver were heading westbound into the setting sun, and the driver was unable to see the bicyclist.

The teacher was taken to Pocahontas Community Hospital but was later pronounced dead.